Imphal, July 18 (NNN): The Working Committee of Apunba Lup, a conglomerate of 30 civil societies, recently pledged to continue its efforts and struggle to ensure justice for the victims of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in Manipur.
“Not a single personnel from the armed forces responsible for human rights violation has ever been punished here,” Apunba Lup coordinator Phulindro Konsam said.
Phulindro pledged to take forward the movement by the Apunba Lup in order that AFSPA victims get access to the justice system.
He said, “The people who have been victimized by AFSPA and denied justice for decades will have to get justice. We’ll carry forward our dedicated struggle towards that end. They must get justice."
Phulindro said many people have been killed and many more women have been raped and killed under the controversial Act which allows the armed forces to enjoy immunity.
He reiterated that owing to the impunity not a single personnel from the state police, Army and paramilitary forces has ever been brought to prosecution which has been under stress in the state.
Amnesty International India recently said the Central government must heed to a Supreme Court ruling on the importance of holding security forces accountable for human rights violations, and repeal the AFSPA which grants soldiers virtual immunity from prosecution in civilian courts.
The Court is hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by Imphal-based Human Rights Alert and a victims’ group, seeking its intervention in the cases of 1528 alleged extrajudicial executions in Manipur from 1979 to 2012.
In its ruling on July 8, it said that all the allegations needed to be looked into, and offences committed by security forces could be prosecuted in civilian courts. It asked for more information about the cases. Proceedings will resume in four weeks.
Arijit Sen, Project Manager at Amnesty International India said in a statement the court’s ruling makes it clear that security force personnel accused of human rights violations must not be allowed to get away with impunity.” It offers a ray of hope to the families of hundreds of people who were allegedly extrajudicially executed in Manipur over decades.
No compensation by Manipur government despite SC order: Kin
Imphal July 18 (IANS): The Manipur government has failed to pay compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of 28 persons killed in fake encounters, a member of one of the bereaved families claimed on Monday.
Khumbongmayum Lata told reporters here that the state government counsel had also misinformed the apex court that the "compensation had already been paid". She said that the court had ordered the Manipur government and others concerned on December 8, 2015, to pay the compensation to the affected families within four weeks.
Lata said that on July 13, the Supreme Court also ordered the government to pay an additional Rs 50,000 each to the bereaved families. She lamented that she along with others visited the state secretariat on Monday to enquire about the matter but returned disappointed since officials could not furnish any information and were busy passing the buck.
